Girls in White Dresses

Guess what tonight is? Well, it's ostensibly the night where we all get to go outside and twirl around in flowing white dresses (borrowed dresses, so as not to hurt those who are poor) and inform young men that they ought not to consider beauty but merit. Yup. Now, how many of us will be doing that?

I went dancing, but that was at a wedding, so it hardly counts! Ah well...

Tell me, how is a system where the girls dance about in pretty clothes and the guys watch them and pick one really conducive to considering merit over beauty? I mean, how do you judge merit in a dancing girl?

And besides, here's the baraita there:תנו רבנן יפיפיות שבהן מה היו אומרות תנו עיניכם ליופי שאין האשה אלא ליופי מיוחסות שבהן מה היו אומרות תנו עיניכם למשפחה לפי שאין האשה אלא לבנים מכוערות שבהם מה היו אומרות קחו מקחכם לשום שמים ובלבד שתעטרונו בזהובים'The pretty girls would say "Look to beauty, since a wife is only for beauty." The ones with yichus would say "Look to family, since a wife is only for children." The ugly ones would say "Take what you will take for the sake of heavy, as long as you crown it with gold."